A Dream Within A Nightmare
by DancingInTheMoonlight13
Summary: Kim's been trying to survive on her own for the past few years. Her dream is to find other humans in this nightmare she now calls her life. Her dream seems to come true one night when she meets Jamie Stryder.
1. Chapter 1: Waiting

I slowly make my way out of the bushes, peering cautiously around me as I limp towards a tree slightly farther away than my original hiding spot in the bushes. Though it is night time and the darkness would make it very difficult for anyone to see me, I am cautious not to make a sound, fearing that I would break the eerie silence surrounding me and alert someone to my presence. As I approach the tree, I do a 360 to make sure no one is watching me, and then hoist myself onto a branch. I climb from branch to branch, stopping at a nook made by two branches partway up the tree. It is perfect; I would be able to relax without falling out of the tree. I take off my backpack and the rifle slung across my back. I settle them in a fork in another branch that is just in my reach. I quietly sit myself down on the branch, but can't help myself from letting out a low hiss when the rough bark scratches against my already red and swollen ankle. I close my eyes and relax, trying to keep my mind off the pain.

I had chosen the spot well; it was close enough to the back of the medical centre that I would be able to get supplies and escape back into the forest quickly. The tree allowed me to see the delivery docks through the foliage, but no one could see me from directly below. I had been observing this medical centre for three days now and I knew the schedule by heart. The delivery truck would come just a bit after sunrise, and then the guy would go inside to alert the people that he was bringing in a shipment before coming back outside to unload the boxes. This gave me a window of about 5 minutes to get into the truck, stuff all the medicine I could into my worn out backpack and then run away as fast as I could so that by the time they found out things were missing, I would be well on my way towards another city. Though I had done this numerous times before, I was extremely nervous because this was my first time doing it injured. Usually, I would get medicine only because my stash ran out. Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle yesterday and it is no red, swollen and hurts like crazy. I really needed some No Pain and Shrink. I was concerned because instead of my usually fast running, I was now reduced to limping, so I could get caught very easily now.

To calm my nerves and for a little boost of luck, I decided to pray. I know, I know, it is kind of crazy to still believe in God with the whole "aliens taking over the world" thing still happening which virtually obliterated the entire human race. But, after being completely alone for almost three years, it was kind of nice to have someplace to go when I die and someone to talk to at night. I prayed every night, though it never sounded like a prayer. I've always found it awkward to ask people of authority for things, so all my prayers sounded like I was asking a friend for a favour or something. I prayed about the normal stuff, like thank you for my rifle, how's grandma doing up there, please keep me away from the body-snatchers. Then I would always conclude with my wish to find other humans. I knew there had to be some out there somewhere, but during my past three years of surviving, I had never seen or talked to another real human, and human company is something I've always craved. It was my dream to talk to another human being within this nightmare we now call life. So, here I go…

_Hey there Lord, _

_How's it going? I just want to ask a little favour. Pretty, pretty please let this all go okay. And as always, could you find some time in your busy life to will a human to cross my path? That would be awesome._

_Love, Kimberley_

There, I now felt a little better. Okay, now I can just lie back, relax, take a deep breath… _Ick. _Do I really smell that bad? I try to remember when the last time I had a bath was. I look at the skin on my arms. It once had been a beautiful pale peach, but was now a light tan colour from dirt and the sun. I run a hand through my dirty-blonde hair. It feels greasy and grimy, but that's the best I can do because I usually only bathe when I happen upon a stream. I finger the jade pendant hanging from my neck. My mother had given it to me for my 9th birthday.

"To match your beautiful eyes," she had said. When was the last time I had looked at a mirror and gazed into my eyes that are the exact colour of that jade pendant? I think it was three months or so ago when I had decided to use the bathroom of one of the houses I had raided.

I am pulled from my thoughts when my sensitive ears pick up the sound of gravel crunching under tires. _Funny, _I think, _the delivery truck shouldn't be coming for another few hours. _I quickly looked up at the sky through the foliage, the moon still high in the sky. _Definitely not the delivery truck._ I lean forward on the branch, the moonlight allowing me to only make out the outline of a small car approaching without the head lights on. I watch as four figures come out of the car, each turning on a flashlight. With the added light, I can now see that two of the people are huge and have quite a bulky build. Another one is of medium stature and the last is quite petite. I can hear them whispering to each other but can't totally make out the words. I lean closer.

"Where is it?"

"It should be right over there."

"Come on, let's hurry up. Kyle's waiting in the truck and we all know just how _patient _he is"

I wonder why they're acting so secret. Aren't these things supposed never be up to bad stuff? Are they what I think they are? I am now getting pretty excited. Could they be..?

I watch as one of the flashlights pass the face of the smaller one illuminating her milky white face, golden hair and silver eyes that reflect the light. Well there goes that hope. The flashlight continues on until it illuminates the side of a storage unit and the word _Cryotanks._

"I found it!" The people then open the door of the storage tank and then proceed to unload these things that look like pet carriers and load them into their car.

I shift my weight to try and get a better look. Then, everything seems to go in slow motion. I feel it as my right hand slips from the branch and I start to fall downwards. I try to reach for the branch where my things are resting but only manage to grab onto one of the straps of my backpack which is now falling with me. I can see the ground rushing towards my face. I try to position my body so that I land on my feet and I succeed. But stupid me forgot about the whole twisted ankle thing. Though I wasn't that high up, it was a nasty fall and I cry out in my pain as my damaged ankle takes most of the force and I collapse into a heap on the ground with my hand still clutching the strap my backpack.


	2. Chapter 2: A dream come true

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! This is my first fanfic, so please bare with me through my attempts at improving my writing skills. I want to thank everyone who is reading and a special shoutout to MellyMeliza for her awesome review. Woot!  
I forgot to do this last time so... DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, Stephenie Meyer does.  
So, On with the show!**

* * *

I do a quick two-second check and I don't feel hurt anywhere except my ankle, but I know that physical pain is not what I should be worrying about when I see four bright lights pointing directly at me. I had to get out of here, and fast. I quickly stood up, only letting out a soft groan as I move my ankle. I quickly swing my bag onto my back and prepare to run. Where's my rifle? My question is quickly answered when I hear the rustle of leaves overhead. I watch the gun fall from the tree and I quickly grab it in mid-air. I point it toward the body snatchers, whom I can't see due to the blinding flashlights, and let out a feral growl hoping to scare them off. I know that most of them are scared of us violent 'wild' humans and only their police, Seekers they call them, are actually armed. I don't even give them a chance to react before I run like hell into the forest. After a few steps though, my injured ankle can't take it so I have to switch to hopping on my right foot. I have to find someplace to hide because without the medication, I won't be able to go very far on that ankle.

"Jamie, no!" I hear someone call behind me. I hear rustling in the bushes just a bit farther back than I am now. So, one of them is going after me and they're gaining. Before I can whip around to fire my rifle at the alien, I'm tackled to the ground. It's at this moment I realise I'm a goner and I start hyperventilating. The past three years I've been avoiding them have been wasted. I then pull myself together and start struggling because I'm not going down without a fight. I growl and kick and jerk, trying to get the body snatcher off my back.

"Stop! Stop! I'm human, like you!" The body snatcher shouts from my back. I suddenly get a huge adrenaline rush and before I know it, I'm straddling its chest and my knees are pinning down its arms. Though I wasn't bulky like those other guys and am probably very light, living the hard life I had gave you some pretty strong muscles. The body snatcher doesn't even seem to be fighting anyway.

"Really I'm human!" It repeats.

"You better not be messing with me, body snatcher, or I'll blow your brains out," I threaten before pointing my gun at its head. I usually never was this violent, but in situations like these, you have to become a cold-hearted killer.

I yank the flashlight from its hand and I point it towards its face. I now see that it's a he and has golden tanned skin and shaggy, black curls cascading from the top of his head. His face is kind of angular, but still has some boyish roundness in it. He's probably about my age. Finally, I point the flashlight directly at his eyes. They're a wonderful chocolate brown, so deep I find myself getting lost in them… and they give off no hint of a reflection. Still sceptic, I yank up his head by his hair and shine the flashlight on the back of his neck. No scar there, not even a single scratch. I can't believe it, it seems my dream is finally coming true.

"Are you for real?" I whisper in awe. The boy lets out a soft chuckle.

"Ya, I'm very much real," says the boy of my dreams.

"What's you're name?" I ask, wanting to know the name of the answer to my prayers.

"Jamie, Jamie Stryder," he replies.

I can't help it; I toss the flashlight and rifle aside, lean forward and squeeze the living daylights out of this miracle boy. "Jamie, Jamie, Jamie," I repeat under my breath, caressing each syllable. This is the name of my dream come true. I pull back from Jamie when I realise we're not alone. I pick up the flashlight lying on the grass and turn around, pointing the flashlight at the direction in which I came. The flashlight illuminates two tall and muscular men, one with blonde hair and the other with dark hair. I can see their human because their eyes give off no reflection. Hiding behind the blonde one is a petite woman that could barely pass for eighteen. She peers around the man in front of her and her eyes reflect the light from my flashlight. I quickly pick up my rifle, stand up (with great difficulty) and point my rifle at the cowering figure. I growl. No one's going to mess with _my _Jamie. Even though I had only just met the guy, I felt the need to protect him from any harm that could come his way.

The blonde steps in front of her and says, "Whoa there, she's with us."

What? These humans have teamed up with a _body snatcher_?

"Ya," pipes up Jamie behind me. "Wanda's our friend. Don't worry, she wouldn't hurt a fly." He stands up and puts his hand on my shoulder, "You can put the gun down now."

Still processing all this new information, I slowly lower my rifle and relaxed my protective stance. I wince and lean against Jamie as the excitement starts to wear off and pain floods through me.

"Are you okay?" Asks Jamie with concern.

"I-It's just my ankle," I say quietly, trying desperately not to scream in pain.

"Don't worry, we've got medicine in the car," comforts Jamie. "You can come with us. Right Jared?"

The brunette, presumably Jared, steps forward, "Sure, is there anyone else with you?"

"No, I'm alone," I reply. Excitement and relief clouds my mind. I get to stay with them! But where are they taking me? I can't wait to see what happens next!

"Can you walk?" Inquires Jamie. I shake my head. Before I know it, my feet are being whisked up from under me and an arm wraps around my torso. I'm about to cry out when I realise it's Jamie, now carrying me bridal style. I wrap one of my arms around his neck, my other hand still clutching my rifle. It's a short walk back to their car. Jamie plops me down in the middle seat in the back, takes off my backpack and buckles me in. He sits himself down beside me and buckles his seat belt. Jared sits on my other side while the blonde and the alien sit in the front. I'm still wary of the one they call Wanda because she's an alien, but Jamie told me to trust her, so I guess I should. My backpack and my rifle are resting on my lap and my ankle is still throbbing with pain.

"Wanda, could you pass me the first aid kit?" Jamie asks the alien. She passes back a bag similar to mine. Jamie opens it up and pulls out a bottle I'm all too familiar with. "Here you go," he says as he hands me a strip of No Pain. I place it on my tongue and almost sigh in relief as I immediately start to feel the pain leaving my body. "That's all we can give you for now," says Jamie. "You'll have to wait to get back to the cave so Doc can treat you properly."

Doc? Cave? There are more of them? My surprise must be obvious on my face because the blonde in the front starts laughing. "Surprised, aren't you? There are lots lore of us. We all live in a series of tunnels and caves in the desert. Ian's the name by the way," he greets me with a warm smile. "And this here is my beautiful girlfriend Wanda." Wanda turns around and greets me with a shy smile and quiet "hello." I stare at her sceptically. "Don't you worry about her," Ian states. "She's the nicest girl around. She even got us out of a few tight fixes. But enough about us, how did you get yourself all the way up in that tree with that hurt ankle?"

"It's a long story," I reply.

"We have lots of time to kill before we arrive home," states Jamie. "Thirsty?" he then offers me a water and I take it gratefully. I open the lid and take a long swig, relishing the pure and clean taste of it. I then snuggle close to Jamie and take his hand, afraid that if I let go my dream might slip away. All eyes are on me now (except for Wanda who's driving, fortunately). I take a deep breath and I begin to tell my story.

* * *

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? It doesn't matter, I just wanna hear what you have to say!  
For all questions, comments and suggestions, just click the pretty button right here. :D**

| |  
\ /


	3. Chapter 3: My Story

**A/N: I'm back! I just want to apologize for the delay of a couple months. My teachers piled on assignment after assignment and I only now had a break. I want to give a shoutout to all these people for their wonderfully encouraging reviews: MellyMeliza (really, who doesn't love Jamie?), TopKat90 (how many thumbs does this chapter get?), Twilight0394 (OMGG? what's the extra G for? ;P), Dessa-Fly (glad you chose Love it :-), twilightsparky101 (thanks for the honesty! hope this chapter encourages you to read more.), SweetP123 (I'm writing some more right now ;P). Also, thank you everyone who favorited or alerted this story! You all get virtual hugs! :) So, on with the show!**

I couldn't remember the last time I had so many eyes on me. I could feel the blood rushing to my face and the warmth spreading across my cheeks. Ugh, I'm blushing and if it is like all the other times I've blushed, my face is probably a dead ringer for a mutated tomato. I never was one for public speaking. And, I guess, the fact that I haven't actually spoken to someone in almost 4 years put a real dent in my social skills. But, I decide I'm probably going to be around these people for awhile and should try to get over my shyness as quickly as possible. So, I take another deep breath and dive right in.

"M-my name is Kimberley Josephine Adams. I used to live in a small town a couple states north of here. Before the invasion, I lived in a beautiful house that backed on to a forest that was my favorite place in the world. My brother Mark taught me how to fish in the river that ran through the woods. We used to spend hours just sitting together, talking…"

Images danced around in my mind. Golden sunlight filtering through rich, green leaves. Bright, blue water sparkling like it was made of diamonds. A face with cool, cobalt eyes and ink black hair smiling a toothy grin. All I could hear was the rustle of wind between leaves and the flow of water around rocks. And laughter. A laugh so full and distinct that I could recognize it anywhere. So clearly imprinted into my head that it was like I could have been listening to it yesterday. But I really hadn't heard it in what seemed like forever.

All too quickly reality sets in. Again. How many times have I gotten lost in my reverie, only to have it dissipate in a flash? Too many to count. I sometimes got so wrapped in my dream world that I could almost feel the grass tickling the underside of my bare legs and the sun's warmth kissing my face as I sat beside that river. But so very often, a squirrel jumping from branch to branch or a bird squawking would disturb me from my thoughts.

Someone clears his throat.

I then remember that I'm not alone and have three pairs of eyes staring at me.

"Oh, oh! Sorry, kinda got lost there," I splutter. "Where was I? Oh yes, Mark. Mark," I sigh the last word.

My vision starts to get blurry. Crap, here come the waterworks. I try to hold back the tears and a huge lump settles in my throat. It feels like someone's squeezing my throat from the inside. I really don't want to start crying at the moment. Mostly because I'm not as I call it a "pretty crier." There are only two types of criers, pretty ones and ugly ones. The fact that every time I cry my eye turn reddish and I get red splotches around my eyes causing me to look, as my best friend Cassandra used to say, "Like a raccoon from hell." pretty much puts me in the category of an ugly crier. But I also didn't want to appear weak in front of theses people who I just met. It wouldn't be wise to let my emotional guard down in front of strangers.

So, I try to get my thoughts away from my grief over my brother and concentrate on continuing my story. I take another sip from my bottle, each drop of liquid helps to loosen the chokehold in my neck. I clear my throat and keep going.

"The woods became like my second home. I spent most of my life in here, at first with my father, then Mark, then just by myself. I would find all these secret places in there, a bunny family's burrow, you know, things like that. One day I found an abandoned tree house, well hidden in a cluster of oaks. This was a few months before I had to… leave my home and was already suspicious something was up. So-"

" So, you had to leave your house because of the soul invasion? What happened to your family? What do you mean you we're suspicious?" Jamie burst into my monologue, firing questions with a lightning fast speed.

"Yes," I replied, slightly annoyed. "Before the whole 'invasion of the body snatchers' thing came into full force, I was kinda suspicious." In my peripheral vision, I can see Wanda the Alien flinching at the body snatcher quip. I feel a little guilty, but why should I care? She is kind of part of the problem. I know the others told me to trust her, but making friends with a soul sucker isn't exactly on my To-Do list. More like on my To-Not-Do list. "This is all relevant. Don't worry, I'll get to it."

I can't be mad at Jamie, he was only curious. I would be too. So, I continue, "As I was saying, I didn't tell anyone about the tree house. Not Mark, not even Cassandra, my best friend. I didn't tell them because I couldn't share with them what I was going to use it for, and if I did, they wouldn't have understood anyway."

Abruptly, bright white lights appear behind us. My heart gives a jump-start. I practically jump out of my seat. What is happening? Are we being followed?

Jared must have seen my reaction because he explains with a mocking grin, "Don't worry, that's just Kyle in a truck behind us. We couldn't carry all our stuff in this car."

"Oh, okay." I flush, a little embarrassed. While I was freaking out, everyone else acted like it was nothing. I guess they were used to being on the road with other drivers. The only time I ever was in a car was late at night after breaking into one and hotwiring it.

"What we're you going to use it for?" Inquires Jamie.

"The tree house? Well, I was planning to use it as my secret storage place for my emergency supplies. I had always had a thing for movies and books about people trying to survive after a major global disaster like a nuclear war or a horrible disease. When I was nine, I decided I should be prepared if something kind of disaster did happen on a global scale. So I began to learn useful things related to survival. Like how to build a fire, set snares, first aid, things like that. I also needed a place to store an emergency pack and all that and the tree house was perfect. I loaded all my money and water and non-perishable food in it, along with camping supplies and my rifle here," I say as I pat it. "When I had to leave, all I had to do was go to the tree house and I was on my way."

"What happened that caused you to leave?" asked Ian from the front seat. I had almost forgotten he was there since he hadn't spoken much during the car ride. But, I hadn't left much room for anyone during my story.

"At first, I noticed something was wrong with Cassandra's dad. Obviously, he had the mirrored eyes, but he was also less abrupt and temperamental. He was now so kind and gentle, but it was kind of creepy. It was early summer, so they had just settled in their summer home after a long flight from the capitol. I was harder yo notice something wrong with Cassandra. I also noticed her eyes, but didn't really notice anything else because she always had been a caring person. Cassandra was about to take me to the basement when I threw up all over their carpet. Ends up I had a stomach bug. It saved my life because the next day, my parents and Mark went over to the Shang's for dinner. I was coming down the stairs from my bedroom to get more ginger ale when they came back through the front door. They all had the shiny eyes. At that moment I knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. Luckily I was already getting better, so I just ran up to my room, changed my clothes, got my stuff from the tree house and w-was on my way."

My voice cracks at the end because the chokehold is back. The images of that night are so horrific that I start to tear up again. Jamie gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. I take another drink from my water bottle as I stare out the window past Jared. It is still too dark outside to see the desert landscape that we're passing by. I take a few deep breaths to reorganize my thoughts while I absentmindedly stroke Jamie's hand. Having Jamie's warm body against mine is really soothing. Instinctually, I snuggle closer and let out a contented sigh.

"Tired?" Jamie asks. His breath tickles the top my head. I hadn't realized just how tired I am until he mentioned it. On the soft, cloth seats and with the car rocking gently I probably could fall asleep. I yawn. "Thought so," he chuckles. "You just go to sleep, Kimberley. We can hear the rest of the story later."

I follow his instructions obediently. I tuck my legs in beside me, being careful of my ankle, and use Jamie's shoulder as a pillow. Almost immediately, I drift into unconsciousness…

* * *

**A/N: So, there you have it. Please review!**

* * *


End file.
